[Dox]

Blizzard Entertainment foot the bill for one of the Sydney Morning Herald's journalists to attend the World Championship Series in Shanghai, and the article he produced on the world of eSports - not only in Australia, but globally - is possibly the best and most positive piece of writing I've seen to date. There are some really great quotes from Morhaime & Browder in there as well - highlighting exactly how Blizzard feels about the last 2 years of SC2, and where they intend to go next.

I hope you enjoy, and please share to all of your gamer and non-gamer friends alike. This is the sort of journalism that will continue to push us in the right direction.

Here are a few extracts:

If it sounds like a confusing or convoluted activity to watch others perform, keep in mind that at their cores, these are the same dynamics that make games like poker and American football so interesting and appealing to us. For spectators as well, there's a dramatic irony to watching the game being played. Unlike the players, spectators are able to see everything that's going on, meaning they're able to anticipate and speculate as to how the game might unfold at any moment.

"eSports is just a different outlet for those with a competitive drive to express themselves without kicking a ball," says Nick Vanzetti, director of the Australian Cyber League, or ACL. "Just like traditional sport, eSports is a growing competitive platform for young people with different interests."

It's something Blizzard co-founder and CEO Mike Morhaime expressed concern about in Shanghai. "There are some challenges with all these tournaments going on, especially as a spectator not knowing what to watch, or what the significance of winning this event or that event is, and putting pro players in a position where they have to choose between two very important events," he said. "Those are some of the things we'd really like to be able to avoid in 2013. We're seeking better coordination and co-operation amongst partners."

* Source & Full Article
* Reddit thread
* TeamLiquid thread